The ability to adjust the second row with rear facing seats is so amazing. I know the new Sienna has some additional seat maneuverability, but IMO it is still lacking in flexibility with rear facing carseats. Odyssey Magic Slide second row still has my heart 4 years later! And now with four kiddos of our own!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting! It is definitely worth every penny. Smart wife btw for talking you into it!

I think you'll love it. The sliding second row really helps with accessibility. Especially with so many car seats.

Glad to help!

That's our gap as well, we have four now, all two years or less apart, and I am SO HAPPY we ended up going with the Odyssey with the magic slide. Our 1 and 2 year olds are rear facing in the second row, and our 4 and 6 year olds are forward facing in 5 point harness seats in the third row. So easy to access the third row whenever they need anything, or buckle assistance!

Laura Nuesi you are so welcome! Glad I could help! 🙂

Oh hello fellow Wisconsinite!!! Yes the configuration of sliding second row vs tilt second row seat just made more sense to us! We were debating originally between Traverse, Highlander, Pilot, Pacifica, Odyssey. There just wasn't a comparison for us. And the '19 Oddy's will be rolling out in a few months, so if anything I'd wait to buy until then as the '18 are a first year re-model, that way you can let them work out the kinks before you buy ;-). Best of luck!

Hope you were able to find one and snatch it up! I know the minivan market is CRAZY right now!

My oldest has special needs too!

I've talked to so many parents of multiples over the last few years (a lot that had a Sienna currently), and when they saw our magic slide second row they were like "danggggggg I wish I had that" ... so that's something. 😂

Steve Goff solid point! You can't go wrong with a Honda, that's for sure!

Glad to help!

Glad to help!!

Glad it helped!

Christ IsKing I went from AWD to the 18 Oddy and I feel like it handles really well. It didn't slip around much and the traction control had good turnover when needed.

Works like a charm!!! Best of luck on your search!

It is really a nice ride to drive! 4 years later and we still love it!

Christy Quinn Thanks for stopping by! Glad I could help!

The 2018 Toyota Sienna has an easy-to-remove middle second row seat which folds up and stores in the rear storage bin. The other two second row captain's chairs are easy to remove. So are the Honda Odyssey's, though they are heavier.

absolutjackal easy peasy! Pop the latch and lift them out!

Ally I have heard of it done, although I have not seen it myself. I’d take a seat to the dealer and give it a try! They’re always more than welcome to let you install and see!

Whitney Hoffer if your rear facer is in the second row, there is room most likely. There is always a gap when my husband and I both are in the front seats. I'm not sure if his setting is programmed to all the way back but I know it's far enough back that my feet cannot touch the pedals when I sit with his setting (the elite has driver 1 and 2 memory buttons, best feature ever!). You could always put your rear facer in the second row passenger side in case it does bump!

Cool Thanks!

Now that we are about 3 years in, we still love the Elite. I can’t remember the main differences between elite and touring, but I *think* it was mainly Cabin Talk via speakers and wireless charging station. Touring I *think* had cabin talk through connected headphones only. We use Cabin Watch every day. We now have four kids of our own, 6 and under (during this video we had two). So our car seat setup is exactly as this video shows still. 😂 Cabin Talk I can see would be usable if one had kids who used the infotainment system regularly with headphones, but we use it only on road trips, and no headphones since our kids are little. But for us, Cabin Watch has been a great add that we do not regret!

Petra C I believe only 18 or newer models have this magic slide second row option. Which is great for third row access!

Percy Jen we have for fun, but don’t regularly yet, but we figure once the kids start to utilize the headphones then we will, as cabintalk overrides audio playing through their headphones if attached to the car! 🤩

Depending on your model, your anchor location can be located. Check the owners manual for your Oddy to determine anchor placement for each seat position. :-)

Al F. Quijano great! It’s a large vehicle, so even with FWD it handles its own. I came from an AWD Morano.

TyffanyandBaby I think that would be pretty tight no matter what vehicle in this class, unless you are looking into the next size up in passenger vans, 10 seaters and up. But that's not to say it COULDN'T be done! You wouldn't be able to utilize the sliding second row as you'd be maxed out on 6 carseats in the rear and would need to keep your 8th seat (second row center) installed. Maneuverability is just where it would get tricky. You definitely could do three rear facings in the second row with no issue and a fourth RF in the third row. But accessibility to the third row is when things would get tricky. I'd think you'd need to utilize the rear entrance of the vehicle for easiest access, or at least that is what I'd do. Some family friends have a similar situation and they swear by the Nissan NV Passenger van, they've owned multiple. Best of luck on your search!!

Amy Lyn Eilers so we jumped the gun and actually bought an older model, we got the 2010 Honda Odyssey 8-seater. Most functions are still the same minus the magic sliding seats and some tech. It works great and we can fit 3 comfortably rearfacing in the 3rd row and 1 rear facing behind the driver and forward behind the passenger and we have the middle for the booster. We leave the set installed but it folds down out of the way and we use the trunk to buckle up the kids in the 3rd row. I've had all the seats in it but not all the kids yet so we will see on Friday what it's like. The only thing I worry about is belt fit on the one in the booster since the seat belt comes from the ceiling.

I would say at 6'4" he might be a tad tight. Which I would think would be the case with a rear facing second row in any minivan level model. I'd recommend taking a carseat to the dealer and buckling in multiple vehicles and trying it out. They're always open to you installing and getting a feel for the model with carseats on site!

Star Danca there would be, you’d have to probably get a slim forward facing seat, like a Dino.

Nikki Rudolph yeah, two rear facing in the second row will make for an extra challenge! Sliding second row to the rescue!

Nikki Rudolph there are latch systems in the third row so I don't see why you couldn't rear face there as well. It would still be as bit tricky to buckle in a rear facer in the third row but I would think creating that isle by sliding over your second row bucket would still make it an easier task than other set ups.

Plannergirl22 the second row slides forward and back. In the video one second row captains chair I believe is moved forward to make space for a taller third row kid I had riding along that day (who likes to kick the back of the second row seat to drive me nuts ;-) ). I think they don't have the second row go back any further to give comfortable room for third row passengers. I've ridden in the third row a few times and I do have to say it's pretty decent on space even as an adult passenger. The second row pushed back fully, probably doesn't have as MUCH room as a Sienna. I mean Siennas are built for that second row comfort, they have reclining foot rests even! I feel like the perks of a Honda better benefit those with carseat Passengers. And a Sienna for sure would benefit your second row adult and teen passengers.

Stephen Vanhooser currently we have a Chicco 30 and Britax Marathon. We have also had a Graco 4 in 1. All three I install in the second row with the bottom anchors, not the lap and shoulder belts. Make sure to refer to your car seat manuals for proper installation for the car seats you use! As well as only use seat protector brands that are approved for your car seat model!

There are 3 anchors for forward facing in the third row of this vehicle model! That being said, we've only ever used the two side seats in the third row with carseats. It's a tight squeeze with carseats back there!

We have been fortunate to not be a part of the sound system issue the early 2018 models had. And no transmission issues either! I know I've seen on a few threads people having those issues (esp in the Oddy FB group). But *knocks on wood* we haven't had that tech glitch yet!

Alexa Mazaheri Lajimodiere I went from an AWD Nissan Murano to this and honestly... drives similar in snow. It’s a larger vehicle so it handles well and holds its own. I’ve had no real issues with winter driving. I just drive safe!

Laura Gomez our 2018 has 3 tethers in the third row!

Not the greatest. Lots of complaints from Oddy long time buyers about them moving the vents off the roof. Some use the snoggle. We live in WI however and don't really run into a ton of issues with this.

If you have all three seats in the middle row, the magic slide option would not be available, and the van would operate standard to most other models in terms of third row access.

At that point I'd recommend any minivan that has anchors in the middle row middle seat. Remove one of the second row captains chairs, two forward facing in the third row, two rear facing in the second row (one in a captains chair, and one in the middle chair. This way you create an easy to access aisle for your third row forward facers. I would deter you from getting the Pacifica as, while the second row captains chairs tilt forward with a carseat installed for "easy access to the third row" it's somewhat useless with rearfacing carseats. I also believe you have to pay for the additional 8th seat in the middle second row. An older generation Honda would work great!

You'll definitely want to check your specific car seat model's manual for instructions. I know instructions can differ greatly by carseat model!

I do want to add when I install a carseat with latch, I put my knee into the seat, and put my full weight into the carseat. Then I tug the latch strap in the direction of the lower strap (parallel to the lower latch strap) to fully tighten, and pulling the strap in that motion helps a ton to get a snug fit!

Trunk space is amazing. Our second vehicle is a Pilot and trunk space with all four car seats installed is obsolete (as you probably know). But the Odyssey is never ending with trunk space. We take road trips with the family of six + stroller, pack and play, and all the luggage with ease.

Donnie Lopez I’d do forward facing in the rear, one rear facing in the rear. Middle row middle seat out, captains chairs both pushed to same side as forward facer. So you have ample room to access third row.

Amanda Critel third row has tethers in all three seats, and anchors in the two window seats. Check out The Car Seat Lady. She is a great resource for this!

I see you stated in another reply that you have no problems so I’m guessing you still feel the same way. Sorry about that, I didn’t see your other reply.

Brian LeBlanc yes, I do still feel the same! Even through this summer we've done fine. I haven't felt a need to purchase any additional attachments. And I have a vocal 2 yo rear facing in the second row that'd let me know. Ha!

Dee Jimenez in that instance it would operate like any other 8 passenger van on the market!

Mrs.Royalty&family main differences that we utilize are cooking front seats. Wireless phone charger. Heated steering wheel. Cabin talk through speakers (only works on headphones in touring which they don't advertise). Cooler looking rooms. Other than that we don't notice other features that make up the difference. We actually owned a touring for a week but it had multiple issues so or dealer took it back and hooked us up with an elite at an awesome price.

Okay thank you

Percy Jen my husband has a pilot. We love it for him... not so much for four car seats. We’ve done it and it is a waste in comparison to the odyssey!

Thank yoy

Jessa Vaughn when we have all seats in and can't utilize the magic slide second row to access the third, there are a few options. If you're just wanting to reach the third row to buckle in some passengers, I remove the headrests from the second row. It creates a ton more room between roof and too of second row seat, making it really easy to lean over the second seat to buckle in any third row passengers. If you are wanting to physically have someone climb back into the third row while all second row seats are occupied, you could slide the second row seat forward and squeeze between. You could also access through the tailgate which is what I would probably do. Keep the 60 bench up, fold the 40 bench down into cargo fold, and climb through the back.

Jessa Vaughn this is a really great question though, I'll try to make a video of this in the next few weeks! If I do I'll come back and comment for you.

I was wondering.... it I could put an infant car seat into that middle seat, then use one of the second row side seats for a convertible forward facing for my 4 year old. I don’t know if your not supposed to put a car seat in that spot. But I think since I will only need all 8 seats like every other weekend when step son is in vehicle and we all travel to say church... we will install it at that time or perhaps take a second vehicle.

My 2018 Odyssey has 3 rear tethers.

Clara Pope slightly yes, this depends on which carseat you have. We've had a Britax, Graco and Chicco rearfacing and they each take up a different amount of space. We brought our carseats along and installed for our test-drive in both the Odyssey, Pacifica and Highlander before purchasing. The Odyssey was the most roomy. We can't have them alllllllll the way back, so yes we do have to move the front seats forward. But not to a point of discomfort for my husband or I. He had to move his seats forward more in his Honda Pilot to accommodate the rearfacing carseat than he does in the Odyssey.

I've heard it's possible with slim seats (Diono I believe is most recommended, here's an affil. link if you need it amzn.to/3C4ORI4). I've never done or seen it myself. Just read in threads people have been successful with it.

Katie M I went from AWD to the 18 Oddy and I feel like it handles really well. It didn't slip around much and the traction control had good turnover when needed.

Amy Lyn Eilers Thank you! That's great to hear because when we buy our van I will be losing AWD too and I live near Chicago

With the anchor/tether. This is a great resource for car seat options in this model. thecarseatlady.com/vehicles/3-across/honda-odyssey-2018/

Hangyu Tian some people complain about the HVAC vents moving from the ceiling to the walls and floor. We went from a crossover to this so venting is the same for us. I can see going from an older model with the adjustable roof venting to the newer version being frustrating. A lot of people who are concerned purchase a "joggle" extender for those rear facing passengers who are most affected. But again, we've known nothing different and our kids don't seem to be bothered at all by the heating and cooling capacities of the 18 Oddy! Definitely minor for me and not a deal breaker at all.

Amy Lyn Eilers thanks a lot for the information. If you don't mind, how much you saved from the sticker price? The dealer offered me $41,000 plus tax and fees for the touring model. Any idea if there is more room for saving?

Hangyu Tian We got an Elite for $43,000 out the door with body mouldings and splash guards installedast fall. 19's are going to start rolling out I believe next month so I feel like you should be able to get a better price on an 18 touring.

wow! so if I am right. The sticker price is something around $47,500. And you have it for about $40,000 + tax and fees? That's a great deal! Thanks for letting me know.

Hangyu Tian yes, my husband is a great negotiator when it comes to purchasing vehicles luckily!

Yes! We now have FOUR kids of our own (6 and under)! And have four Graco 4ever seats in the car, set in this exact positioning!

No clue that was the one given to me to use for the day for a mom I was helping drive her kiddo to daycare for the day!

alvin ryan Goyap I’ve never seen it done but I know you can. Latch system in two outer seats in the third row on an 18.

Daniel Tojcic my husband said the same, now he loves driving it. 😂

Amy Lyn Eilers might go for an atlas :)

Daniel Tojcic the Atlas is awesome for a dad mobile! We were between that, the Ascent and the Pilot for my husband. We ended up with the Pilot. Any of them are a solid choice though.

Daniel, go test drive one. Its pretty nice. Not like older vans. Plus with the Sensing technology, that blew me away.

Fmblogger04 agreed! Looking back we feel foolish we even compared the two! 😂

But oh, the Chrysler stow n go... Very hard to compete with that feature...

@@hopethrives a fun feature for sure. But have you ever tried the magic slide seats? We use them daily! Stow n go, we have never needed the storage capacity for in the three years we’ve had the van. I talked to a mom who loved stow n go because they did a monthly road trip with four older children. So, obviously an understandably awesome feature to have for her! I think it totally comes down to your family and your needs. We need third row access in ours, not extra storage.

Yeah, but - to make this Honda work with the magic seats (which are great) you must have the center removed. For people who actually need 8 seats available somewhat frequently, the Pacifica does work. Because I believe it’s the only van on the market that will accommodate a rear facing seat in the middle second row seat and not interfere with the movement of either one of the seats beside it for 3rd row access. So with the Pacifica you put one baby in center, one on driver side and the passenger second row seat available and unimpeded for third row access.

Phil no we don't have any issues with ours. I've definitely seen some people with the issue on forums though.

J H yes!!! The all must not have a ton of kids. 😂 this is really the best minivan on the market for full car seat compatibility.

We budgeted accordingly for the added features. We also negotiated hard for a better out the door price. Good news with a 2018, you get the sliding second row no matter what model is in your budget.

Thanks! I love your video so much. Informative, to the point, and good video quality. And I love Honda's MagicSlide feature too.

Take him to the both dealerships with all the car seats and have him install in both vehicles and buckle all the kids in … that might change his mind real quick! 😂😂